Kouchi Gari (small inner reap) is a fundamental judo technique that has become essential in modern BJJ and no-gi grappling. The technique involves hooking your opponent’s inside leg with your own while simultaneously breaking their balance backward and to the side. Unlike its larger cousin Ouchi Gari, Kouchi Gari focuses on a smaller, more nuanced reaping motion that targets the ankle and lower calf rather than the thigh. This makes it particularly effective when your opponent has a narrow stance or is stepping backward. The technique’s beauty lies in its timing and subtlety—when executed properly, your opponent falls before they realize they’ve been swept. Kouchi Gari works exceptionally well as part of combination attacks, often setting up other throws or creating opportunities for guard pulls when the initial attempt is defended.
Starting Position: Clinch Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 35%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 65%
Key Principles
- Off-balance opponent diagonally backward before attempting the reap
- Target the ankle and lower calf, not the thigh
- Maintain upper body control throughout the entire movement
- Time the reap when opponent’s weight is on the target leg
- Drive through the technique rather than pulling backward
- Keep your base leg strong and stable during execution
- Follow your opponent to the ground to establish top position
Prerequisites
- Establish collar and sleeve grips or equivalent no-gi control
- Position yourself at an angle to your opponent, not square
- Break opponent’s upright posture with forward pressure
- Identify target leg (usually the one they’re stepping back with)
- Create off-balance by pulling opponent’s upper body diagonally
- Ensure your base leg is positioned for stability and power generation
Execution Steps
- Establish grips and angle: Secure a high collar grip with your right hand and sleeve/wrist control with your left (or equivalent no-gi grips on neck and arm). Position your body at roughly a 45-degree angle to your opponent rather than standing square to them. (Timing: During initial grip fighting when opponent is settling into stance)
- Break opponent’s posture: Pull your opponent’s upper body forward and slightly downward with your collar grip while simultaneously pulling their arm across their body. This creates the initial off-balance and prevents them from maintaining strong upright posture. (Timing: As soon as grips are secured)
- Create diagonal off-balance: Push and pull in opposite directions with your hands to turn your opponent’s shoulders and hips. Pull the collar grip backward and to your left while pushing the sleeve grip forward and to your right, creating a diagonal off-balance toward their rear corner. (Timing: Immediately following posture break)
- Step in with base leg: Step your left foot (base leg) deep between your opponent’s legs or just outside their lead leg, positioning yourself close to their center line. Your base leg should be bent and loaded, ready to drive forward through the technique. (Timing: As opponent begins to step backward to recover balance)
- Execute the reap: Hook your right foot behind your opponent’s right ankle, making contact with the blade of your foot against the back of their Achilles tendon and lower calf. The motion should be a small, quick reaping action from the inside, not a large swing. (Timing: Precisely when opponent’s weight commits to the target leg)
- Drive and finish: Continue driving forward with your hips and chest while simultaneously reaping backward with your hooking leg. Your upper body control pulls them diagonally backward as your leg removes their base. Follow them to the ground, landing in side control position. (Timing: Continuous motion from the reap through to ground control)
Opponent Counters
- Opponent steps back aggressively with targeted leg (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Follow their backward step and switch to Osoto Gari or Kouchi Makikomi (wrapping variation), using their momentum against them
- Opponent widens stance and lowers hips defensively (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Abandon Kouchi Gari and transition to Uchi Mata or knee tap, attacking the opposite side or switching levels
- Opponent hops on base leg to maintain balance (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Chain into Kosoto Gari or Deashi Harai, attacking the hopping leg as they’re airborne and vulnerable
- Opponent sprawls and drives weight forward (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Pull guard or transition to front headlock position, accepting the ground position rather than forcing the throw
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: What is the primary target area for the reaping leg in Kouchi Gari? A: The ankle and lower calf area, specifically the Achilles tendon region. Unlike Ouchi Gari which targets higher on the leg, Kouchi Gari focuses on this lower area to create a small, precise reaping motion that removes the base from an already off-balanced opponent.
Q2: In what direction should you off-balance your opponent for Kouchi Gari? A: Diagonally backward toward their rear corner, not straight back. This diagonal off-balance removes both potential posting points and makes it nearly impossible for the opponent to recover by stepping with their free leg. The direction is typically toward the corner behind the leg you’re attacking.
Q3: Why is Kouchi Gari particularly effective as part of combination attacks rather than as an isolated technique? A: Because the defensive reactions to Kouchi Gari (stepping back, widening stance, hopping) create perfect setups for other techniques like Osoto Gari, Uchi Mata, or Deashi Harai. When opponent defends one way, they often expose themselves to the follow-up technique. This makes Kouchi Gari an excellent ‘feint’ or first move in a combination, even if the initial throw doesn’t land.
Q4: What is the fundamental difference between Kouchi Gari and Ouchi Gari in terms of execution and biomechanics? A: Kouchi Gari is a small, precise reap targeting the ankle and lower calf with emphasis on diagonal off-balancing, while Ouchi Gari is a larger, more powerful technique targeting the thigh with more linear backward motion. Kouchi requires more timing and finesse, whereas Ouchi relies more on power and deep penetration. The ‘Ko’ in Kouchi literally means ‘small,’ reflecting this difference in scope and execution.
Q5: How should you adjust Kouchi Gari technique when opponent maintains a very wide, defensive stance? A: A wide stance actually negates the effectiveness of Kouchi Gari because the opponent’s weight distribution is more stable and the angle of off-balancing becomes unfavorable. In this situation, you should abandon Kouchi Gari and switch to techniques that exploit the wide stance, such as Uchi Mata to the inside, or work to narrow their stance first through grip fighting and pressure before attempting Kouchi Gari again.
Q6: What role does upper body control play in the success rate of Kouchi Gari, and how does it differ from reliance on the reaping leg? A: Upper body control accounts for approximately 70% of the technique’s effectiveness. The collar and sleeve grips create the crucial off-balance through push-pull mechanics, turning the opponent’s shoulders and breaking their structure. The reaping leg simply removes the base from an opponent who is already falling—it doesn’t generate the throw by itself. Many practitioners mistakenly focus on the leg action and neglect the upper body mechanics, resulting in low success rates and vulnerability to counters.
Safety Considerations
Kouchi Gari is one of the safer takedown techniques when executed properly, as the falling direction is controlled and predictable. However, training partners should be aware of proper breakfall techniques, particularly falling backward with the chin tucked to avoid head impact. When drilling, ensure mat space is clear of obstacles and other rolling pairs. The person executing the technique should maintain grips and control throughout the fall to prevent the partner from landing awkwardly on their shoulder or neck. In competition or live sparring, be mindful of the edge of the mat area, as the backward motion can carry both practitioners out of bounds. For older practitioners or those with knee issues, the reaping motion should be executed smoothly rather than explosively to avoid strain on the base leg’s knee joint.
Position Integration
Kouchi Gari serves as a critical bridge between standing and ground positions in modern BJJ. From the standing clinch position, successful execution typically leads directly to side control or knee on belly, establishing immediate top pressure. When defended, Kouchi Gari naturally chains into other standing techniques like Osoto Gari, Deashi Harai, or transitions to front headlock position if opponent sprawls. The technique is particularly valuable for guard players who want to maintain standing rather than pulling guard, as it allows you to dictate the terms of engagement. In the modern competitive landscape, Kouchi Gari has become essential for BJJ practitioners who cross-train in judo or wrestling, providing a reliable answer to aggressive opponents who pressure forward in the standing phase.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: Kouchi Gari represents the perfect embodiment of judo’s principle of maximum efficiency with minimum effort. The technique succeeds not through muscular power but through precise timing and exploitation of biomechanical weakness. When your opponent’s weight is committed to their rear leg—even for a fraction of a second—that leg cannot move to recover balance. Your reaping action doesn’t need to be powerful; it simply needs to be present at the exact moment their weight loads that foot. The upper body mechanics are paramount: you must create a genuine off-balance through opposing forces in your grip work before the leg action has any value whatsoever. Students often fail with this technique because they attempt to sweep the leg of a balanced opponent, which is biomechanically impossible. Study the timing of weight transfer in your opponent’s stepping pattern, and you’ll find Kouchi Gari becomes almost effortless when executed at the proper moment.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, I use Kouchi Gari primarily as a setup technique rather than expecting it to finish as a standalone throw. The real value is in how opponents react to it—when they feel that reap coming, they either step back hard, widen their stance, or hop on the base leg. All three reactions open them up to something else. If they step back, I’m hitting Osoto Gari immediately. If they widen, I’m going Uchi Mata or dropping for a single leg. The threat of Kouchi Gari controls their movement and makes them predictable. That said, when you catch someone mid-step or when they’re backing away from you, it’s money—they go down hard and you land right in side control. I hit it most often in no-gi with bodylock control because the grips are more secure and they can’t grip fight their way out of the setup. Train it as part of combinations, not as an isolated technique, and your success rate will skyrocket.
- Eddie Bravo: What I love about Kouchi Gari is how sneaky it is, man. It’s not this big telegraphed move—it’s subtle, quick, and most people don’t even see it coming. In 10th Planet, we use it a lot when we’re working our clinch game before pulling guard or going to the ground. The thing is, you don’t always need to finish the throw to get what you want. Sometimes I’ll fake the Kouchi Gari just to get them moving backward, then I’ll pull them into my guard or hit them with something else. It works great in the cage too because guys are so focused on defending big takedowns that this little ankle reap catches them sleeping. One thing I teach is the sacrifice variation where you wrap and roll—it’s lower risk and guarantees you get to the ground even if you don’t get the perfect top position. Don’t sleep on the old judo techniques; they work in every grappling context when you understand the principles.